The Inherent Rights of Men for DummiesI hope you all find humor in this title as I hope to encourage a light atmosphere for us to discuss this book. Though the title may seem like a paradox –as the teaching of such a complex construct would usually seem far removed from simplicity – Lynn Hunt can be credited for achieving such an apparent paradox in her book, “Inventing Human Rights.” Unlike the historians you probably had to read as an undergraduate who gave dense recollections of compiled information regarding the history of these human rights, Hunt sheds the extraneous details to focus on the more pertinent information. In my experiences, I have found Hunt’s modern insight to be both pinpointed in terms of accuracy and clever in the way she presents her argument. She exhibits an air of freshness that students can get behind, which is precisely why I have recommended this book into our curriculum.

One quality of the book I find commendable is the fluidity at which Hunt conveys each piece of evidence for her argument. Indeed, the way she describes the torture used on Calas was effective in capturing the essence of mankind’s gruesome history. There’s certainly an art to critically working the mechanics of a good argument, which Hunt excels at. She clearly shows an acute understanding of how to express complex ideals (such as human rights with its interwoven litany of factors) in such a way that most people would grasp. Not only that, but Hunt is able to keep things short and sweet. Students these days are bombarded with a mountain of school work from other courses, as well as having time constraints with other clubs and social aspects that are all encouraged to make a college education worthwhile. So, the length of the book is crucial to maintain an optimum execution rate for these labored students. In short (like this book) “Inventing Human Rights” is appealing in its concise, short length. The 216 page length is miniscule compared to the likes of Stokes and Davis; the read-through is essentially a breeze. The book quite clearly details the main themes that would amount to the influential declaration of “our most basic human rights” Empathy and Autonomy lies at the heart of this belief. The plentiful wealth of examples Hunt uses, as well, should provide students a pool of literary examples they may use in a paper analysis that will be an essential completion component of this course. Hunt has crafted together a fine testament of historical understanding that will be ideal to use in our intended, educational purposes. So, again, I encourage you fine professors to share what you thought, even if you disagree vehemently (my feelings won’t be hurt…too badly.)